Mayor Calls Special Meeting Over Pension Fund

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl has called for a special, public meeting next week to talk more about the plans to fund the city’s pensions.

There’s been plenty of drama through the week over parking and pensions, like when firefighters stormed out of a council meeting after the mayor’s private lease plan was rejected. The firefighter’s president chastised council and threatened reprisals.

Since then, council passed its own version of a plan – sell parking assets for $200 million to the Parking Authority.

But the mayor says he plans to veto City Council’s alternative plan.

In a news conference this afternoon, Ravenstahl said that he can’t support any bill that would create more debt.

“Council had the courtesy of delivering to me the plan for the first time a couple of hours after they had already voted on it. It also goes on to note that the final components of the plan will be subject to change pending the City Council meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 26,” said Ravenstahl. “So, not only did they amend at the table that day, not only did they deliver it to me after they voted on it, they still plan to change it on Tuesday without any public process, without one public meeting.”

So, the mayor is calling for his own public meeting to compare plans and in his words – “open the process.”

“That their plan doesn’t work, that they’ve failed to discuss their plan and the reason that they have failed to discuss their plan in public is because I think they know that it doesn’t work,” he added. “I think they know that it’s a bad deal for the city of Pittsburgh.”

The mayor’s special meeting has been scheduled for Monday at 1 p.m. in City Council Chambers.